A Dead Church
Recently someone told me something someone said about a church. “That church is dead.” So what is a dead church anyhow?
It’s a common accusation from Pentecostal Christians against most other churches. I have said it myself more than once.
The most common definitions of a “dead church” according to most pentecostals and charismatics are:
- It is boring, the music is dry, the preaching is dull and there is little to no excitement about God.
- It does not effectively disciple people.
- Any church not their own to get more people to come to there’s.
If it Really Is a Church…It Is Not Dead.
If it really is a church (more accurately known as an ecclesia or a congregation of Jesus Christ) the meetings might be boring. They might be dry and unexciting but if Jesus Christ lives inside people in a church THERE IS LIFE.
I know this church personally and there are many people there with the life of Jesus on display, so this church is not dead.
When a church gets labeled dead its more about a dislike about worship style.
This “dead church” accusation is a by product of people believing that life comes from volume and extroverted excitement for Jesus. Lack of displays of excitement does not make a dead church.
A dead church cant exist, it is an oxymoron. If it is a church if disciples of Jesus gather together then there is life. Non Christians pretending to have church of other reasons do exist. They look the same on the outside, sermons, singing, Christian tradition. It could even be the loudest church in the city with the best music and the most dancing and hand waving.
Testing for Life or Death
The test of life is not numbers and growth as is commonly taught (by churches that are growing). Plenty of organizations and groups and blatantly evil things grow and increase in numbers. Things like cancer, virus’, religions that murder people, bank accounts of tyrants and criminals. None of these things are approved of God and they do not indicate health.
As in all things the real test of life or death is to simply ask “who is Jesus Christ here and what are people gathering around?”
Jesus Christ himself is the life of any group of Christians. Jesus Christ himself is the test of life.
A dying church is one where he cannot express himself regardless of number of attendees, ages of attendees, sermon or music quality. Dying ‘churches’ have existed for centuries, many of them never had an ounce of life in them from their start.
More on life:
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